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Reviews
Sing (1989)
Sing!
I'm not ashamed to admit that I love this movie even though it's a bit run down, raw/gritty and has some cringe-worthy 80's dancing not to mention the clothing .. yikes! While preparing for the annual "Sing," talent show; where the seniors compete against the juniors in a musical production; the board of education decides to close the local school & stop the kids from proceeding with their performance. Despite all odds & with the help of their teachers Bracco & LaBelle the students band together with the neighbourhood to hold "Sing" one more time.
While it is completely predictable, when you give into the music and the passion the students & teachers display while they defy the ban on their show, you become hooked.
All the characters are strong, sensitive and ultimately endearing. Peter Dobson (from TV show Lenny) stars as the bad boy turned good after Bracco takes an interest in saving him and technically blackmails him into becoming involved in the production. Dobson & Steen make their "own romance" while being forced to collaborate as the senior leaders. Patti LaBelle can certainly belt out a tune & she does with "Total Concentration" & Cuba Gooding Jr. gives a "knockout" performance! If you like 80's movies and you haven't seen this I would recommended it. The 80's music in the soundtrack is very catchy and while the movie may appear dull in parts the ending is strong. I love the senior class's performance, the choice of song fits perfectly "One more time, SING the song. There's a power in our voices hopeful and strong. Years from now, somewhere down the line, we'll remember and we'll all SING, one more time!"
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
Stand out film for 2015
There are not a lot of movies out there that are truly capable of making me cry, Crying is not something that I do often; nor something that I was expecting to do while watching a teen flick but OMG this movie is super emotional. I highly recommend it! Me and Earl and the Dying Girl centers around Greg (Thomas Mann; Project X), a senior who has managed to coast through high school without associating himself with any cliques or making any enemies, yet at same time keeping himself closed off from forming any true bonds. Except with, one of his teachers & his "Co-Worker" Earl. Together Greg & Earl spend their free time making parodies of weird foreign films for their amusement.
When Greg's mother learns that one of his classmates has been diagnosed with cancer, she forces him to go over to her house and befriend the girl. Though he hesitates at first, what starts off as something he was forced to do, becomes the beginning of a beautiful friendship with Rachel (Olivia Cooke, Bates Motel) All the characters are superbly cast and each give one gives an absolutely solid performance. They appeared to be a really tight-knit cast, that just worked brilliantly. I especially enjoyed Nick Offerman's portrayal as Greg's dad, what an eccentric oddball of a parent; he adds a fun unique weirdness to the story. Thomas Mann is fantastic! I have enjoyed watching him in other films. I think he is someone that will have a long and successful career. He is definitely a very charismatic actor A lot of people are comparing this to "The Fault in Our Stars". I get that; but this movie is far more fresh, quirky & original. It's written so beautifully, and shows how life-changing strong friendships can be & how they can alter your outlook on life. The movie deals with a terminal illness in such a heartfelt way. It is definitely worth watching
Flypaper (2011)
You know what they say. Normal's just a cycle on the washing machine!
Flypaper starts off as a bank heist/crime whodunit, with a cast of unique characters & intriguing plot twists. 2 teams of bank robbers come to the same bank at the same time for different heists, the professionals come to steal from the vault and the amateurs are there to steal from the ATM machines. But unfortunately it falls a little flat and has a predictable ending.
It does have one or two little surprises along the way; such as what happens to Darrien (Mekhi Phifer), that is something I simply was not expecting.
I generally like Ashley Judd, but this was a nothing role for her. She is completely forgettable as the bank teller Kaitlin. Patrick Dempsey on the other hand is over the top as Tripp a bank customer who is caught up in the heist and tries to sleuth his way through the situation whilst hitting on Kaitlin every chance he gets. His character is annoying & sort of neurotic. On the plus side he did manage to shake off his Grey's persona as he is not McDreamy like AT ALL in this film.
Cop Car (2015)
Not suitable for someone with ADHD
A pair of kids find an abandoned cop car and decide to take it for a joyride. Unfortunately, the car belongs to the local sheriff, who is a very bad man. The boys end up in a deadly game of cat & mouse as 'Bacon' will stop at nothing to track them down.
A very heavy amount of time is spent on the scenery, on the outskirts of an old dusty American town, lots of back-roads, lots of time spent showing the boys going through fields - which really tried my patience. Yes, I get that the wide open spaces are supposed to be beautiful & boys are just being boys & this is supposed to be part of the build-up but that was all wasted on me. I would have edited this movie differently; I guess I would have changed the entire look and feel of the movie to make it more fast paced.
I probably would not have watched this movie if Kevin Bacon had not been in it. That being said, the movie does suck you in; once you get into it; you do want to see how things turn out & what's going to happen to the two boys.